Kids’ Almanac (2/23-3/2)

Cooper, age 5, Hurley: I love you, Daddy, and it’s not just because you make me waffles.Dad: Aww, thanks, bub!Cooper: But it’s mostly because you make me waffles.

Sesame Street Live at Civic Center

Have you ever felt like Cookie Monster does here? “That what wrong with the media today. All they have is questions, questions, questions. They never have cookies.” You and your kids ages 1 to 6 years can see their favorite characters, enjoy a terrific soundtrack, fun choreography and special effects at Sesame Street Live: Make a New Friend taking place at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center next weekend! Performances take place Friday, March 3 at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, March 4 at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Sunday, March 5 at 1 p.m.

As this is the first live show for many children, I suggest talking to them about the experience beforehand, including the fact that the characters will seem larger, human-sized to them, and that the action all takes place in front of them onstage, not on a television or a computer screen.

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Tickets cost $18, $25 or $35 (for Gold Circle seats); $65 for the VIP Sunny Seats package, which gives premium seating along with a Meet & Greet before the show with two Sesame Street Live friends, including Elmo; $8 or $13 (for Gold Circle seats) for daycare or school groups of ten or more; and $26.25 per person for a Me + 3 four-pack.

Can you honestly say that your last four weeks have been rewarding or productive? Or perhaps you’re considering taking up or giving up something for Lent? Because whatever your answer, here’s a neat way to infuse your March with something wonderful: writing! “Write It Out” is a four-week creative writing program for parents, caregivers and educators of children with special needs. Led by local writing student Diana Rush, sessions take place on Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. on March 2, 9, 16 and 23 at the Staatsburg Library.

This workshop is free and open to the public; it’s a safe space to share challenging thoughts and feelings; and no writing experience is necessary. All you need is to register, and to bring a pen and a notebook!

The Staatsburg Library is located at 70 Old Post Road in Staatsburg. For more information or to register, call (845) 889-4683 or visit http://staatsburglibrary.org.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25

Women’s Studio Workshop Chili Bowl Fiesta at SUNY-Ulster

Missed any annual Women’s Studio Workshop Chili Bowl Fiestas in past years? Well, that’s the way the cornbread crumbles; but here’s another chance! This Saturday, February 25 from 2 to 7 p.m. at the SUNY-Ulster dining hall, families can shop for one-of-a-kind handmade pottery bowls priced from $10 to $100, and get them filled with any of a variety of chili offerings, including meat, vegan and vegetarian, along with a side of cornbread. Raffles and live music with In the Kitchen round out the evening. Come for early-bird bowl selection from 2 to 4 p.m. for a $5 entry donation; or come during free admission from 4 to 7 p.m.

Need a great reason to skip out on cooking dinner tonight? How about a family night that’s fun for all ages? Check out illusionist Ryan Dutcher’s One Man Family Show this Saturday, February 25 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Hopewell Junction. Ryan’s shows are high-energy, filled with music and big on audience participation.

The doors open at 5:30 p.m., the free buffet is available from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. and the show begins at 7:45 p.m. Tickets cost $25 in advance, $30 at the door, and you can even enter to win a pair of free tickets through his website: www.ryandutcher.com.

According to mathematician Katherine G. Johnson, who was profiled in the Hidden Figures movie due to her essential calculations for the US’s first space trip, as well as the first moon landing, “Everything is physics and math.” Have your girls got the STEM bug yet? Registration opens on Saturday, February 25 for Girls’ STEM Day: Girls Rock STEM, which takes place on Saturday, March 25 in the Coykendall Science Building at SUNY-New Paltz. Check-in starts at 8:30 a.m., and this day of hands-on science, technology, engineering and mathematics activities led by master teachers is completely free! Participants will also hear keynote speaker Jothi Ramaswamy, a high school sophomore from Westchester who founded ThinkSTEAM to raise STEM awareness in girls through the arts. Girls’ STEM Day is in its second year and is very popular, so sign up your middle-school daughter (sixth to eighth grade) as soon as possible.

Q: What has a bank that doesn’t store money; what has a bed but never sleeps; what has a mouth but never eats? A: A river!

Are you interested in doing more to help the environment? You can start right now! Scenic Hudson hosts a Learn & Serve Open House: Volunteer Outreach Event this Saturday, February 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the River Center in Beacon. Come learn about what Scenic Hudson can offer your group, as well as its volunteer needs, including field trips, education programs, work days, citizen science, grassroots advocacy and more!

Scenic Hudson’s River Center is located at 8 Long Dock Road in Beacon. For more information or to register, call (845) 473-4440, extension 273, or visit http://scenichudson.org.

Magic Show in Rhinebeck

It’s that time again for The Great All-American Audience Participation Magic Show, and you can tell from the title that you’re in for a great time! The Great All-American Audience Participation Magic Show stars classic magician Andy Weintraub and takes place on Saturday, February 25 at 11 a.m. at the Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck. Don’t blink; you don’t want to miss a single sleight-of-hand or mind-over-matter! Tickets cost $7 for children, $9 for adults and seniors.

Are you a loyal viewer of the Oscars? Do you watch the nominated films and try to predict the winners? Here’s an easy way to catch the shorts: This Saturday, February 25, Time & Space Limited presents Oscar Shorts: Animation at 5:30 p.m., and Oscar Shorts: Live Action at 7:15 p.m. What a fun outing for the family before watching the Oscars evening unfold the next day, with host Jimmy Kimmel and seeing who won in each category!

Tickets for each of the two Shorts showings cost $7 for students and $9 for adults. Time & Space Limited is located at 434 Columbia Street in Hudson. For tickets or more information, call (518) 822-8100 or visit http://timeandspace.org.

Snowshoe hike at Van Buren National Historic Site

Are you OK about snowshoeing? Like, really OK? Because you and your family can explore the grounds of the birthplace of our eighth president, which is also the birthplace of the “OK” expression! This Saturday, February 25 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., ages 8 and up can join the snowshoeing activity at the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site. (The “OK” is said to come from his supporters referencing Old Kinderhook, which is where Van Buren is from.)

The day includes a one-mile walk over hilly terrain, and it’s completely free. Remember to register, as space is limited to 24 participants. Bring snowshoes if you have them, because there are only 12 pairs available for children to borrow, and two pairs for adults. If there isn’t enough snow, come anyway to do some letterboxing around the estate.

Looking for a family-friendly art museum experience that’s close to home? SUNY-New Paltz’s Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art invites you to Family Day this Sunday, February 26 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Participants will take a tour with a scavenger hunt of the exhibition “Carl Waters and Woodstock Ceramic Arts,” followed by a hands-on activity shaping and baking clay to make pendant necklaces and shadowboxes. Registration is required, and this event costs $5 per child under age 18.

All right, I’m not going to get into a debate about latkes versus hamantaschen, but I can tell you about a fun hamantash event coming up that your kids will love! This Sunday, February 26 at 1 p.m., Adams Fairacre Farms in Wappinger hosts a Family Hamantash Bake. Participants will roll out some dough, add chocolate, raspberry, apricot, poppyseed filling and more and bake it, as well as learn the history behind this traditional Purim treat. The Family Hamantash Bake is free and open to the public of all ages.

Adams Fairacre Farms is located at 160 Old Post Road in Wappinger. For more information, call (845) 440-7592 or visit www.mypardess.org.

THURSDAY, MARCH 2

Read across America Day at Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum

Diversity! Susanna Leonard Hill! Ladybug Girl! What do they have in common? Simple: They’re all part of Read across America Day, taking place this week at the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum! Join in this 18th annual nationwide literacy effort by coming to the museum for special storytimes. Thursday, March 2 is Diversity Day, with readings at 12 noon, 2 and 4 p.m. by volunteers from the United Way from books that celebrate our differences as strengths. Friday, March 3 is Susanna Leonard Hill Day, and she will do a reading of her books at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 4 is Ladybug Girl Day, with readings at 3 and 4 p.m. as well as a presentation about how the authors and illustrators draw the pictures; and kids can even take a photo with Ladybug Girl!

As a parent, do you feel like me sometimes: overwhelmed, stressed, exhausted? Well, we are not alone, and Michelle Wolin of the Circle of Friends Preschool and Marnie McKnight-Favell of Dragonfly Holistic want to help! This Friday, March 3 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Waddle ‘n’ Swaddle, Michelle and Marnie present “Kindfulness Parenting: A Conversation with Heart.” This free workshop explores tools and tips to stay connected to our kids while experiencing intense emotions and other challenges. The workshop is free and open to the public, and registration is required.

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